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Our Defensive Line Could See a Tweak

As this article suggested, the Steelers might be better off by moving Hood to NT and have Mclendon play end. I always believed Mclendon would be better at end, by making that move maybe we'll see more pressure on the QB.
Hood is strong enough to play the Nose, they were thinking of him playing it last season before Hampton took a pay cut.
As we enter the 2013 season it might not be a bad idea to at least attempt to try this option, let Hood compete for that position and see if its viable.

Heyward has to step up as he will be the replacement for Keisel, he didn't play well enough to beat out Keisel but then again he's not on the field as much.

If the Steelers are actually considering making the switch, they may be thinking Ta'amu might have too many legal matters to contend with and release him. Fangupo would be the backup to either Hood or Mclendon@ NT, so we'll see, any improvenment to get pressure on the QB will be welcomed.

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Dec 2008

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726

I like the idea. Hood seems to be a good fit for NT. He is big and strong enough to hold his ground there and that seems to be the basic job description. He has some ability to make plays on the QB or behind the line, but at end, he isn't going to be a high producer with sacks and pressures. They could then draft to Outside Linebacker or DE. People on the board keep saying how Heyward is so much better than Hood. As of yet I am not convinced of that. But next year may be the time to really see what Heyward is all about.

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May 2008

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The article also identifies why the problems exist and it isn't on the players. The most telling is

"Not if the Steelers are going to strip away the very physical tools that attracted them to Hood and Heyward in the first place and mold them into players whose primary job is to hold up at the point of attack"

This is the problem of a Def Coord who isn't using the player's strengths because he is fixated on a system that worked for him years ago. Let these guys play so they maximize their abilities and we will get to the QB much more often.

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I don't think Ziggy Hood has the anchor to play NT. There were a few games this year where opponents opened by running to the offensive right, and Ziggy was getting blown off the ball.

I would like to see McClendon get more opportunities at both NT and DE, but he had his own problems against the run.

I agree phillyesq. Plenty times Hood was pushed around on the line. The biggest problem is none of the DL command double teams. They are all easily blocked one-on-one by most other OL starters. What I wouldn't give for a Geno Atkins right now.......

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Originally Posted by Oviedo

The article also identifies why the problems exist and it isn't on the players. The most telling is

"Not if the Steelers are going to strip away the very physical tools that attracted them to Hood and Heyward in the first place and mold them into players whose primary job is to hold up at the point of attack"

This is the problem of a Def Coord who isn't using the player's strengths because he is fixated on a system that worked for him years ago. Let these guys play so they maximize their abilities and we will get to the QB much more often.

That's preposterous. Hood/Heyward's "strength" is to control gaps (i.e. 3-4 scheme). That's not to say that they wouldn't prefer a gap-shooting scheme that would free them up. That's not the point though. In such a scheme (I'm presuming), DL playing more freely means LBs who run around less freely (due to taking on more blockers). It's a trade-off.

Now... getting back to Hood/Heyward. Yes, they would make more plays that way. But they aren't suddenly going to turn into Warren Sapp/Chris Doleman because of such a switch. Hood/Heyward are limited players, which suits them to 3-4 schemes. It's not like DL's system is making "great" players subjegate themselves.

The fact that neither has done much to distinguish themselves is more a commentary on their talent than it is the scheme. They're both ham & eggers.